DIY Butcher Countertop

Determine the measurements for your countertop, and create a template out of cardboard strips. Double check all of your measurements, and then cut the cardboard strips with a utility knife. Use a straight edge to help guide longer cuts so they are straight. Tape the strips together securely with masking tape.

Check the template against your cabinets to ensure the template is accurate for the size of your top as well as where you want your sink holes. Send the template to a butcher block manufacturer to cut your top for you, and arrange for the manufacturer to deliver the top to your house.

Prepare the base cabinets for the countertop installation. Cut down pieces of plywood to a width of 2 inches and an appropriate length to fit across the depth of the cabinet (from front to back). Use a circular saw to make the cuts, and cut enough strips to fit across the length of your cabinet every 14 to 16 inches to support the top.

Install the plywood strips so that they are flush with the top of the cabinet base. Use wood screws that are long enough to go through the plywood and into the cabinet, but not so long that they penetrate the face of the cabinet. Set the screws at an angle, go through the top of the strips into the cabinet and use wood glue at any wood-to-wood transitions.

Apply ample wood glue to all of your mounting strips as well as the entire top of the base cabinet frame where it will meet the butcher block countertop. Set your countertop in place. Select wood screws that are an appropriate length to go through your plywood strips and into the top, but not so long thatthey go through the top completely. Mount the top by screwing through the plywood strips from the underside of the top.